Massaging device



Sept. 8, 1942.

M. ANDIS MASSAGING DEVICE Filed May 17, 1940 30 INVENTOR NfiT/v EW fi/voxs BY v M AMYAM KTTQRNEYQ izasuaemv.

Patented Sept. 8, 1942 UNITED STATES l HUGH/H 1 PATENT OFFICE MAS SAGIN G DEVICE Mathew Andis, Racine, Wis., assignor to Andis Clipper Company, Racine, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin 6 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in manually manipulable massaging devices.

An important object of the invention is to provide a hand operable massager adapted to be rolled over a body portion to simultaneously administer a rolling, manipulating and vibrating action thereto.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device adapted for home use, as well as for use by professional masseurs, in the administration of general therapeutic treatments and to effect reduction of weight.

A still further object of the invention is to produce an organization of structure in which a conventional type electric motor may be employed to reduce the cost of manufacture to a minimum.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon an examination of the specification, drawing, and claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an embodiment of my invention with parts broken away to disclose the inner construction.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front end view, partially in section, of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an end view of the motor housing roller.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

The device includes generally a motor l provided at one end with a housing extension il having an enlarg a ase portion l2. Roller assemblie 13 an tioned at each side ounted on a cross 'v-liC. project-t tnerethrough and is driven from the motor. A C-shaped handle l6 has end portions I1 and i8 mounted on the housing extension and motor housing respectively. A fixed supporting roller I 9 is mounted on the motor housing opposite the handle mounting.

More specifically, my invention is as follows: A driving shaft 20 is journalled within housing extension H and gear casing l2 co-axially with the armature of motor l0. Shaft 20 may be an integral extension of the armature shaft or it may be a separate shaft which is coupled thereto. The outer end portion of shaft 20 is preferably journalled within a bushing 2|, axial movement in an outer direction being restricted by means of a ball bearing 22 held between the end of shaft 20 and an adjustable plug 23. Shaft 20 carries a worm 25 which meshes with a worm gear 21 carried by cross shaft l5. As best shown in Fig. 3, gear casing I2 is provided at each side with a bearing 28 to provide journalling means for shaft I5. Bearings 28 are preferably of the self-lubricating type.

Each of the roller assemblies I3 and M includes a cage-like supporting frame comprising a central spool-shaped element 30 provided with a center bore for mounting on shaft l5 and a pair of radially extending end flanges 32 and 33, preferably of a generally triangular shape. Rollers 35 are mounted between the flanges 32 and 33 for rotation about axes parallel to the axis of shaft l5 and equally spaced, both radially and circumferentially, in respect to the axis of shaft I5. Each assembly may be secured to the shaft by means of a set screw 31 for rotation as a unit with the shaft.

The handle l6 preferably is hollow and has wiring 39 disposed therein connected with a control switch 40, conveniently located for manipulation by an operator. Handle portion I! may be mounted by screws 42 to a flattened upper portion of housing extension ll whereby it also serves as a top closure for gear case l2. Handle portion I8 may be mounted directly over the motor inlet wires as shown. The motor shell becomes an integral part of the tool, connecting the rear end of the handle rigidly with the gear case to which the front of the handle is attached.

Roller I 9 revolves in a plane common to the general plane of the motor armature and handle I6, while roller assemblies l3 and M revolve in planes parallel to that general plane, hence during use, the device can more easily be moved back and forth in the direction of said general plane than in other directions. Because more effective vibrations are set up when the device is so moved, it follows that a desirable feature of the device resides in the fact that best results are obtainable by employment of a minimum amount of effort on the part of an operator.

During use the device may be moved on roller l9 over a body surface to be massaged for administration of a highly effective flesh exercising action by the rotating roller assemblies, A succession of vibrations of moderate frequency ar introduced, together with a slapping, rolling, and kneading action, as a result of the roller assemblies I3 and I4 being driven very much in excess of the rate at which the device is advanced over the body portion. The design and location of the handle permits a user to apply considerable pressure on the implement or to reduce the pressure below that exerted by the unaided weight of the apparatus so that wide variations in efiect are possible as the rollers successively strike the surface treated during rotation of the assemblies. The difierence in radius from the axes of the spider to portions of the peripheral surface of the rollers successively contacting the surface treated, will cause the front end of the device to vibrate rapidly to and from said surface to effect the particularly penetrating action above described.

I claim:

1. A massager including a motor having an armature shaft, a driven shaft disposed forwardly of the motor and transversely with respect to the armature shaft, driving connections between said shafts, a housing providing bearings for said driven shaft and enclosing said connections and mounted to the forward end of the motor, a C handle connected to the motor at a point remote from the housing and spanning the intervening portion of the motor and connected to the housing, and sets of roller assemblies mounted laterally adjacent the housing at opposite sides thereof upon the ends of the driven shaft for planetary movement about the axes of the driven shaft.

2. A massager comprising the combination of housing means including a motor housing portion and a gear housing portion in rigid unitary connection, motor mechanism in the motor housing portion including an armature shaft extending into said gear housing portion, a cross shaft in saidgear housing portion provided therein with a driven gear, a driving gear meshing with the driven gear and mounted on the armature shaft, spiders mounted on the ends of the cross shaft immediately adjacent said gear housing portion, at least three rollers correspondingly mounted upon the spiders at each end of the cross shaft and provided with bearing means substantially parallel to the cross shaft axis upon which the respective rollers are individually rotatable in their planetary movement with the spiders upon the cross shaft, the rollers carried by each spider being successively engageable for the support of the massager with a surface to be massaged, a support for the motor housing portion likewise disposed beneath said housing means,

and a handle including a portion extending above the gear housing portion and the motor housing portion directly at the opposite side of the motor shaft from the massaged surfaces engaged by said rollers and support.

3. The device of claim 2 in which the handle comprises a C-handle contributing to the rigidity of connection of said housing portions, said handle having one of its ends fixed to the gear housing portion and the other of its ends fixed to the motor housing portion.

4. A motor powered massager adapted to be manually moved over the surface to be massaged while non-frictionally supported therefrom, said massager comprising motor means, wheeled supporting means therebeneath for carrying themotor means from the surface to be massaged, said wheeled supporting means comprising two spaced planetary sets of applicators, each includ-' ing at least three applicators, mutually spaced rotatable coaxial cages upon which the respective sets of applicators are mounted for rotation in a manner to transfer the load of said motor means from one applicator to another in the course of cage rotation, means mounting said cages for rotation, driving connections disposed between the cages and extending from said motor means to the cages for the rotation thereof, and a handle for guiding said massager connected with said motor means at a side thereof opposite the side beneath which said roller means is disposed and away from the surface traversed.

5. A motor powered massager adapted to be manually moved over the surface to be massaged while non-frictionally supported therefrom, said massager comprising a motor having a housing and an armature shaft extending therefrom, a gear casing rigidly connected with the motor casing at the end thereof and into which said extended shaft projects, a gear on the extended shaft within said casing, a cross shaft mounted in said casing and provided with driven gear meshing with the gear first mentioned, cages on the cross shaft at opposite sides of the casing, applicators mounted on the respective cages in sets of at least three whereby to transfer weight from one applicator to another in the course of cage rotation, said applicators having their effective surfaces exposed at all times beneath the motor housing and casing in supporting relation to the assembly of motor housing and casing, and a handle connected with said assembly and disposed above the motor housing at the opposite side thereof from the side at which said applicators project for the support of said assembly, the successive contact of said applicators with the surface to be massaged in the course of movement of the assembly thereover being adapted to slap and knead said surface subject to the inertia of the motor and said assembly.

6. The device of claim 5 in which the respective applicators comprise rollers individually mounted upon the respective cages upon axes fixed in the respective cages and approximately paralleling the axis of the driven shaft, the motor housing being independently supported by roller means therebeneath at a point remote from said gear casing and said cages.

I MATHEW ANDIS.

MATHEW ANDIS September 8 1914.2.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the ab ove numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Page 2, first colrmn, line 15, beginning with "A 'massager strike out all to and including "driven shaft following --A massager comprising the combination with amotor housing having a wheeled rear support, of a gear housing connected to the forward end of the motor housing remote from suchsupport and projecting therefrom, said gear housing being substantially centered with respect to the motor housing and materi a lly narrower than the motor housing, an extension armature shaft in the gear housing and axially aligned with the motor housing, adriving gear mounted thereon, a driven shaft journaled in the gear housing and disposed transversely with respect to said armature extension shaft and having end portions projecting laterally at Opposite sides of the gearhousing, a driven gear upon the driven shaft meshing with the driving gear upon the extension armature shaft, a C handle connected at its rear end with said motor housing substantially above said support and opposite thereto and having its forward end connected centrally to said gear housing, roller supports mounted in pairs upon the exposed ends of the driven shaft adjacent the end of the motor housing and at either side of the gear housing, and convexly contoured massaging rollers mounted between the supports of the respective pairs and having spindles extending between saidsupportsin general parallelism with the axes of the driven shaft, said rollers being arranged to be impelled by the rotation of the driven shaft successively into peripheral contact with a surface traversed by the wheeled supporting means of the motor housing--;

in line 27, comprising claim 1, and insert instead the and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that, the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 22nd day of December, A. D. 1911.2.

(Seal) Henry Van Arsdale,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

